Latch mechanism



July 17, 1962 c. .J. 5055 3,044,815

LATCH MECHANISM Filed Aug. 9, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 3/ [M8455 YNVENT cim W 6 we 44 July 17, 1962 c. J. soss LATCH MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed Aug. 9, 1960 INVENTOR.

BY {M K 4/444 CHARLES J 5055 July 17, 1962 c. J. 5055 3,044,815

LATCH MECHANISM Filed Aug. 9, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet I5 INVENTOR.

States This invention relates to improvements in latch mechanisms, thatis, bolt actuators primarily for doors but not necessarily limited tothat application. More particularly, the invention is directed to aconcealed latch such as a door latch and associated means whereby a dooror the like may be locked as well as latched.

A primary intended field of use of the latch of this invention is withdoors utilizing concealed hinges. Concealed hinges as such have longbeen known in the art and have been very widely used for the reason thatvery effective designs of such hinges have been made and they are verydesirable from the standpoint of the fact that being concealed, a veryattractive and pleasing appearance is realized as far as the door isconcerned. The herein invention carries forward and advances thatpurpose and result by providing a concealed latch and lock adapted notonly for use with ordinary doors but with an form of hinged panel or thelike.

The primary object of the invention is to make possible the realizationof the result and purpose of having doors or hinged panels with aconcealed latch (and/or lock) which as stated may be in combination withthe use of concealed hinges.

The invention features the concept of and construction of a latchingmechanism including a retractable bolt having an actuating member orlever which normally retracts into the frame of the latch so that it isessentially concealed and not readily visible. In other words, theoperating member retracts into, a recess in the frame of the latch sothat the'lever is entirely within the recess having only an edge or sideportion remaining flush with the surface of the latch frame. In order tomove the actuating lever outwardly into a position where it may begrasped for operating, means are provided which preferably are in theform of a relatively small push pad or button which may be essentiallyonly touched or given a very small movement in order to retract theoperating lever outwardly into a position where it may be grasped. Thepush pad may have at least a portion normally extending outwardly beyondthe surface of the latch frame or it atent too maybe arranged so that itis normally flush with the frame surface having a small amount of inwardmovement therefrom. The overall result is the realization of the purposeand objective of having latching mechanism which is of the concealedtype corresponding in that respect to the principle of concealed hinges.

A further object of the invention is to provide a concealed latch asdescribed including a retractable bolt and an operating lever which isnormally substantially concealed within the frame of the latch by beingreceived in a recess therein.

Another object is to provide a latch as in the foregoing objectincluding a manually operable member such as a push pad or buttonwhereby in response to a small amount of movement thereof, the operatinglever may be retracted.

Another object is to provide as in the foregoing having correspondingoperating mechanisms on both sides of the frame of the latch.

Another object is to provide a latch as in the foregoing objectsincluding locking means operated by a key for locking the operatinglever in its retracted position.

Another object is to provide a latching mechanism as l in the foregoingobject including manually operated locking means on the side of theframe opposite the key locking means whereby the operating levers may belocked from that side of the frame requiring unlocking'by the keylocking mechanism from the other side of the frame.

Another object is to provide a latch mechanism as in the foregoingwherein the operating lever and push pad are pivotally mounted with theprovision of biasing spring means which normally bias the actuatinglever into its retracted position and bias the push pad in an outwarddi- FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. '3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

PEG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 3. a

FIG. 7 is a detail sectional view similar to FIG. 3 with the parts shownin another position.

FIG. 8 is a detail view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a detail view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 8 including the locking member.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings,numeral 10 designates generally the latch frame or housing whichsupports the mechanical parts. The frame is preferably rectilinear inshape adapting it for being mounted in an opening or mortise in a dooror other hinged panel, as indicated at 11. Numeral 12 designates thebolt which is retractable having the configuration shown in greaterdetail in FIGS. 3 and 7. The bolt is normally biased outwardly by aspring within the housing, as will be described in detail presently. Theend of the bolt has the usual bevelled surface 13 which cooperates witha conventional striker plate 14- mounted on the door jamb in the usualmanner. The type or detailed construction of the striker plate used is,of course, immaterial to the invention.

The frame comprises inside and outside face plates or escutcheon plates15 and 16 having the particular configuration, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2and 7. The plates are held together by screws and spacer sleeves as,indicated at 17. The plates'fit into recesses on each side of the dooras shown and have flanges fitting the walls of these of plates 15 and 16will be described in connection with.

the latching and locking operations.

Plate 16 will be referred to as the outside plate. Numeral 24 designatesan operating lever which is pivotally mounted as best seen in FIGS. 3, 4and 7. It pivots in a horizontal plane and when moved inwardly, movesinto a slot or recess 26 formed by the inward deformation or recess inthe face plate, as described above. Lever 24 is of bell crank levershape having extending part 28 which operates the bolt. Lever 24 has aboss part 30 as seen in FIG. 4 having a bore for pivotal mounting on pinor post 31, the ends of which are mounted in flanges 32 and 33 of plate16 which has an opening 35 to accommodate a torsion spring 38 having anend 40 which engages a portion 41 of lever 24 having a slanting orbevelled surface 42. The other end 44 of spring 38 engages an edgesurface 45 of plate 16. Spring 38 normally biases lever 24 into itsinward position.

Numeral 47 designates a push pad or operating button Parented July 17,1962 i which, in a preferred form as shown, is substantially rectangularhaving inwardly extending apertured bosses of yoke arms 48 and 49. (SeeFIG. 4.) The push pad 47 is pivotally mounted also on the pivot pin 31as shown. The inner surface of pad 47 has a rectangular cut-outpresenting inclined surface 52 which normally engages surface 42 oflever 24, as seen in FIG. 5, so that pad 47 normally inclines outwardlyvery slightly beyond the surface of the door, as seen in FIG. 3. Bypushing in a small amount on pad 47, lever 24 is moved outwardly againstthe force of spring 38 into the palm of the hand, whereby it may begrasped for operation.

Inward movement of pad 47 is limited by stop 46 engageable in a slot inthe pad, as shown.

n the opposite side of the frame, that is, on the other face plate 15,there are mounted operating parts, including a push pad and an operatinglever which are either the same or very similar to the correspondingparts on the front side of the frame. Such parts are designated by thesame reference numerals primed. Those parts that are the sameor closelysimilar are similarly mounted, that is, in a symmetrical position, sothat no further general description of them is necessary. To the extentthat these parts differ in detail, such details will be describedhereinafter.

The lever 24 on the front side of the frame is preferably, but notnecessarily, formed as a casting. It has an intermediate cylindricalconformation or boss 55 having a cylindrical opening 56 therein. Thisopening is of a size to receive a standard commercial lock cylinder 58operated by a key for locking. As will be described, this lock makes itpossible to lock the door from the outside with a key lock by lockingthe operating lever 24 in its inward, that is, its substantiallyconcealed position. It is to be observed that the construction, asdescribed herein, is one wherein the operating lever is not onlysubstantially concealed but, furthermore, when it is in its inwardposition and particularly when it is locked, there is no exposed part ofit that can be grasped or jimmied for forcing the lock.

The rotatable cylinder which is rotated by use of the proper key carrieson its end the locking member 60, the end part of which is formed toprovide a lug 61 which, in locked position, engages behind the lug orabutment 62, which is preferably formed as an inwardly turned lugextending towards the edge of the door at the edge of the inwardlyturned flange 63 extending inwardly from the surface of the face plate16. Flange 63 extends inwardly from an opening 64 in plate 16, as may beseen in FIG. 8. Numeral 65 is a stop member which limits rotation oflock member 60.

From the foregoing, it will be readily observed that by inserting a keyin the lock 58 and rotating the lock cylinder, the locking member or lug61 may be rotated through substantially 45 for locking behind the lug 62and unlocking therefrom. The configuration of member 60 is shown in FIG.5.

Means are provided on the inside of the assembly for manually locking sothat the door cannot be opened from the outside manually, but rather itcan then be only opened from the outside by unlocking it using a key. Inother words, the manual locking device on the inside locks the door sothat it cannot be opened from the outside without a key. This type ofarrangement is, of course, desirable for use, for example, on the insideof a bathroom door, so that the occupant can very easily and readilymanually lock the door to prevent persons from entering the bathroomwhen it is in use.

The locking mechanism on the inside of the door comprises a button 65which operates by being pushed in against spring 66 and also by rotatingit. The button has a diametrical rib 67 to facilitate its being graspedbetween the thumb and forefinger for rotating. The operating lever 24has a configuration including a central opening 71 or bore whichreceives the shank or stem of the button 65 and the coil spring 66 whichseats against a washer adjacent plate 15.

On the end of the stem or shank of the button is the locking member 73which moves inwardly when the button 65 is pressed and which rotateswith the button, its rotation being preferably within an arc ofsubstantially 180. (See FIGS. 6 and 9.) The member 73 has an axialportion 74 and a locking member or lug 75 of arcuate conformation.Referring again to the locking member 60 which is operated by the keylock, it will be observed in FIG. 3 that this member has a position 79which is opposite to the locking lug 61. (See FIG. 5.) Numeral 81designates an additional arcuate abutment which extends in a directionaway from the door at the inner edge of the flange 82 which is shownbent inwardly from the face plate 17 at opening 64.

In the operation of the locking mechanism on the inside, when the button65 is pressed against the spring 66, the member 73 moves inward, thatis, axially, to a position wherein the portion 75 of the hook portion isin a position wherein it can be rotated into a rotated position whereinthe hook member 75 is between the member 61 and the abutment or ing 81.In other words, as may be seen in FIG. 3, when the door is not lockedfrom the outside, if the button 65 is pushed or depressed and thenrotated as described, the hook portion rotates to a position in betweenthe member 61 and the abutment 81. In this position, the door is lockedand cannot be opened from the outside because the member 60 is preventedfrom moving outwardly by reason of the engagement of portion 61 with thehook member '75, which is, in turn, in engagement with the abutment 81.However, the door may now be unlocked from the outside in the usualmanner by inserting the key and rotating the lock cylinder. In thismanner, the locking member 60 may be rotated so that the portion 61 isbrought out of engagement, that is, out of alignment with the hookportion 75, so that it is then free to move outwardly or, in otherwords, the door is then unlocked. If the door is unlocked from theoutside after having been locked from the inside, when the member 61moves out from engagement or alignment with the hook member 75, thisreleases the button 65, which is then rotated back to its normalposition automatically and also moved axially by spring 66 to its normalposition. On the other hand, if the door has been locked from the insideby the button 65 and if the person in the room manually unlocks it usingthe button, the button is simply rotated back to its original positionand the spring 66 moves it axially to its normal position.

FIG. 10 shows the action when member 60 is rotated in the oppositedirection. It engages hook 75 and rotates part 74 against stop 65.

Bolt 12 is attached to U-br-acket having rear web 91, as shown in FIG.5. Guide pin 92 extends through bolt 12 and through the legs of bracket90. Pin 92 slides in slots 94 and 95 in U-bracket 97 having back web 98and flanges 99 and 100 fastened in a recess in the edge of the door bycover plate 101 and screws as shown at 102.

Numeral 104 designates a coil spring positioned between bolt 12 and aplate 106 attached between the legs of bracket 97, as shown in FIG. 3.Spring 104 normally urges bolt 12 outwardly.

Bell crank arm portions 28 and 28 of levers 24 and 24' extend inwardlyas respects brackets 90 and 97 to engage with web 91 of bolt bracket 90for operating the bolt. Portions 28 and 28 are offset. from each other,as shown.

Referring now generally to the over-all operation, having referenceespecially to the front side of the frame if the push pad 47 isactuated, that is, given a small amount of movement about the pivot pin31 against the force of spring 38, its surface 52 engaging the bevelledsurface 42 rotates the operating lever 24 outwardly against the forceexerted by the spring 38. The operating lever 24 is rotated out into aposition where it may be grasped. As may be seen, the operator may pushthe push pad 47 with his thumb so that the operating lever 24 then movesoutwardly directly into the palm of his hand for grasping. The operatorthen pulls outwardly on the lever 24; it rotates about its pivot pin 31and its portion 25, as described, acts on the bolt 12. This retracts thebolt against the spring 104 and the end of the bolt disengages from theopening in the striker plate in the door jamb, allowing opening of thedoor. The door may be pulled open by the same handle and allowed toclose under the influence of a door closer, for example.

If desired, the push pad 47 may be so mounted that its normal positionis flush with the surface of the door with a slight amount of freedom ofmovement inwardly for actuating the operating lever.

As described indetail in the foregoing, the door may be locked from theoutside at any time by operating the key lock mechanism. Similarly, itmay be locked from the inside against opening from the outside asdescribed in detail in the foregoing, although the door may then beunlocked from the outside with a key.

From the description, those skilled in the art will readily observe thatthe invention, as described and explained herein, achieves and realizesthe objects stated in the foregoing. It provides an improved door latchand lock mechanism having the particularly desirable qualities ofcarrying forward and extending the concept of having concealed hardwarein a door or other hinged panel. The mechanism of the invention providesa latch and lock mechanism which is very desirable from the standpointof pleasing appearance and ornamentation, since the moving parts aresubstantially concealed. The lock possesses the further advantage thatby reason of the parts moving into recesses in the lock frame,particularly as to the operating lever itself, when it is in its recessin locked position, it does not offer any areas which can be grasped orjimmied by unauthorized persons. The construction of the mechanism isextremely dependable and of a simplified nature readily adapting itselfto simplified fabrication, production and assembly techniques.

The foregoing disclosure is representative of a preferred form of theinvention and is to be interpreted in an illustrative, rather than alimiting, sense, the invention to be accorded the full scope of theclaims appended hereto. I

What is claimed is:

1. A latch mechanism comprising, a frame carrying a retractable bolt,said frame being adapted for mounting in a door with a surface thereofsubstantially flush with the door, an operating lever for the bolt, saidflame having a recess to receive the said operating lever in asubstantiallly flush position within the confines of the frame, andmeans comprising a push pad member mounted to have a normal positionsubstantially flush with an exterior surface of the said frame, saidoperating lever and said push pad member having means providinginterengagement there between whereby a push on the push pad memher tomove it toward but not into the interior of the said frame causes theoperating lever to move outwardly in a position to be grasped, the meansproviding interengagement between the push pad member and the saidoperating lever having a construction whereby the operating lever may bepulled out substantially from the said frame freely of the push padmember without imparting further movement to the push pad member, andsaid operating lever having means for actuating the said bolt.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said operating lever is apivotedmember, said means providing interengagement comprising mutuallyengageable parts on the push pad member and operating lever.

3. A structure as in claim 2 wherein said mutually engageable partscomprise bevelled surfaces on the push pad member and on the operatinglever having a relationship whereby when said surfaces are in mutualengagement the push pad member, in effect, forms an extension of theoperating lever.

4. A structure as in claim 1 wherein the space in said frame directlyinward from said push pad member is occupied by said retractable bolt.

5. A latch mechanism comprising a frame carrying a retractable bolt,said frame being adapted 'for mounting in a door with a surface thereofsubstantially flush with the door, a pivotally mounting operating leverfor the bolt having a handle part extending in one direction from thepivot, said frame having a recess to receive the said handle portionsubstantially within the confines of the frame, means comprising a pushpad member mounted in a position on the other side of the pivot of theoperating lever and normally being substantially flush with an exteriorsurface of the frame said operating lever having means adjacent thepivot for actuating the retractable bolt and said push pad member havinga part engageazble with the operating lever adjacent to the pivotwhereby a slight inward movement of the push pad member is operative tomove the operating lever outwardly into a position in which it may begrasped and said push pad) member and operating lever having aninter-engaging structural relationship allowing freedom of outwardmovement of the operating lever without movement of the push pad'memberinto the interior of the said frame, the interior of the frame directlyinward of the said push pad member being occupied by the saidretractable bolt.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,055,688 Halinka Sept. 29, 1936 2,653,842 Love Sept. 29, 1953 72,657,085 Dedoes Oct. 27, 1953 OTHER REFERENCES Automotive and AviationIndustries, page 27, May 1, 1944. a

